Two Texas Women Imprisoned For Stealing Tons Of Food Items Like Cheese Slices
Two women in Texas have been sentenced to prison for committing food stamp fraud costing more than $1 million.
The greed of money never ceases to exist. Two women from Texas have been busted by the police for stealing tons of cheese slices and other food items for their business.
They have indulged in this illegal activity for over five years. Finally, authorities have got hold of them.
According to sources Anna Rioja and Maria Consuelo de Ureno, both of Brownsville, Texas when taken to the law court pleaded guilty for conspiring to commit and committing Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) fraud.
When authorities launched an investigation into their case, they found out that since 2016, Ureno, Rioja and others swapped SNAP benefits for cash using a point-of-sale device at a store owned by Rioja.
Again, according to KWTX, prosecutors found out that these two women from Texas successfully made fraudulent transactions at Sam’s Wholesale Club.
As food business merchants they used their business as a coverup of their illegal activities. Prosecutors have published a news release explaining the amount of food items they have smuggled in chain deliveries which finally lands in Mexico.
In the press release, it stated that a total of 715 fraudulent transactions linked to 83 SNAP recipients which Rioja and Ureno redeemed for money or food.
They made several fraudulent purchases of food items such as tons of pinto beans, Folgers coffee, instant mashed potatoes, and over 5,000 gallons of mayonnaise. The total cost is said to amount to $1.2 million in food stamp fraud.
Their crime has been dealt with according to the law. The judge who sat on their case, Rolando Olvera Jr prosecuted them: Rioja to 30 months in prison and one year of supervised release. Ureno will have to spend 37 months in prison and a three-year term of supervised release.
In addition to their punishment, a huge amount of money has been placed on them. Rioja will pay $975,401 in restitution and Ureno will also pay $1,284,282 —the court-ordered. KWTX reported.
